Chapter 2 Flashcards
naturally occurring solids •formed by inorganic
processes
•building blocks of rocks •Examples: quartz, sulfides,
halides
Minerals
•relatively hard, naturally occurring mineral material
•made up of two of more
minerals, mixed up through
geological processes
• Examples: igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic rocks
Rocks
Physical Properties of Rock-Forming Minerals
Color
Hardness
Luster
Cleavage
it is a measure of the resistance of a mineral (not specifically surface) to abrasion
Hardness
measures the scratch resistance of various minerals based on the ability of a harder material/mineral to scratch a softer one
The Mohs Scale of Hardness
describes how the mineral reflects light
Luster
2 types of luster
Metallic luster
Non-metallic luster
looks like a shiny metal such as chrome, steel, silver, or gold.
Metallic luster
may be shiny and reflect light, however, they do not look like a metal.
Non-metallic luster
the property of some minerals to break along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces.
Cleavage
is the property of a mineral breaking in a more or less random pattern with no smooth planar surfaces.
Fracture
Cleavage in one direction
Muscovite
Cleavage in two directions
Feldspar
Cleavage in three directions
Halite
Cleavage in four directions
Calcite